I'm a damsel, I'm in distress, I can handle this. Have a nice day!

[Gar]

Ni stared back into his eyes with an expression of shock, silently contemplating his words. She had never seen this side of him before. Her brows furrowed and she had to break eye contact, absently rubbing her neck as she collected her thoughts.

Time passed and then she answered softly, her voice breaking, "Master Henoch was dedicated to all of his students. He would've laid his life down for any of his padawans. I'm just the one that it happened to be, because of what I am..." Ni gradually lifted her eyes, "I was a terrible student, Gaddy. And, as you can probably tell, I still am. I forgot to meditate, like you asked me too. I've been so distracted, I..." she shakes her head. "I'm always distracted..."

The Zeltron tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she looked into Gadeon's eyes with full conviction. "I don't know what you see in me. I'm not trying to make you think I'm special--" she opens her hands as if in surrender, "But just as the galaxy sees these clones as slaves, they can never see me as anything but a silly, sex-driven Zeltron. And honestly, they aren't wrong about me..."

Ni searched Gadeon's eyes, finishing quietly, "I just want to do the right thing. All my life I've been willfully ignorant of the clone's struggles; I've turned a blind eye. I don't want to do that anymore. But no politician is going to listen to someone like me. At least not alone."

[aipsylon]

Gadeon did not look away even as she did, his eyes seeking out the truth. He was better at it than your average person, but with Ni, if she wanted to hide it he knew she would be able to. He just could not help but look. "We will have plenty of time for distractions on the way to where we are going, plenty of time for meditation too." Gadeon watched as she shook her head. "I don't think that is true, and even if you were even the worst student is able to learn eventually.

"You are a Jedi Knight, not a padawan any longer, and the world now teaches you as a master once did." As her eyes met his he watched her open her hands to the sides. He let her finish because he wanted to make sure she heard his next world. "You say you do not see what I see in you, and not a sentence later you say it. You say that you want to do the right thing, and you realize you cannot do it alone. I am amazed that you do not see how special that makes you. Now come on." He said, finally breaking eye contact to pick up his robes and taking a pair of steps before looking back to be sure she was following.

[Gar]

The Zeltron blinked in surprise. She obediently rose to her feet, although a curious expression crossed her face. "Wh...Where are we going?" Ni inquired as she followed her friend. She was still trying to process and reflect on Gadeon's last statements.

[aipsylon]

"We are going to start, he pulled out his communicator and sent a message off before putting it away and waiting for a return message. He would let Ni think as he slowed down so that he could walk beside her, his mind on her well being, though he gave her her space as they walked along. The message had been sent to Unna asking where he could meet her.

[Gar]

Ni clapped her hands and hopped excitedly at his words, but this immediately sent a sharp pain through her pelvis. She grimaced, breathed, and slowed her pace for a moment, silently bearing the feeling until it subsided. Within seconds her bright smile returned to its post.

"Thank you, Gaddy," Ni sighed with relief, "I know that people respect you. They will listen to you. I really hope this can be solved diplomatically."

[aipsylon]

Gadeon walked to the pad, took a speeder to the petitioner's office for Ni's senator.  Leaning up against a rail post, he motioned to the counter. "There you are, Ni. If you do not wish to avoid working through Unna, this is your option. There are some that respect me, maybe, but largely I am unknown on my own. This is the way we will go if you will not work with Unna, a seek to follow the method I lead you to.

[Unna Hi Chaanu]

Gadeon's comm beeped with a message from Unna: "I am in my room at the temple."

[Gar]

Ni frowned at the building disapprovingly. "Surely there must be some way to expedite my request. Are there no perks for veterans of the tenth division? I understand you and your friends swim in her circles, though Unna is closest to her."

[aipsylon]

"I was never a member of the tenth division, officially. I did not want to get caught up in the politics involved with answering directly to the chancellor. As you saw when we returned to the others in Baku the unofficial associations are helpful at the higher levels, however, at the line level and lower tiers it is not. Ni, I am not sure if you have an idea of how you are going to go about this, but if you do not, waiting here will do little to advance your goals. Are you serous about wanting tio change this?"

[Gar]

Ni's face hardened into determination and she gave a curt nod. "Yes," she affirmed confidently, "But much more than that. I want to see if I can bridge the gap between the Republic and the OPA. Freedom for the clones is just the tip of the--whats that called?--oh, iceberg." She sighed, "I won't know if I can do it until I try. But the longer it takes, the worse it will get. Have you heard back from Unna?"